The Earl’s Accountant

In 1820s England, Ava Oakley, a self-reliant, reserved young woman, faces destitution after losing her beloved employer, Lady Aubrey. Finding work as an accountant's assistant in a small Yorkshire village of Welburn, she initially keeps to herself until she meets her client, Lord Chance Joyce, Earl of Carlisle. After an accidental kiss, Chance becomes intrigued by Ava's hidden passionate nature and seeks her out. Ava's feelings for him threaten her new sense of control over her life. She struggles to believe her newfound happiness will last and resists her feelings for him while cautiously befriending other village inhabitants.

Unfortunately, Chance's attempts to woo Ava are interrupted when he learns his friend Lord Wentworth is facing destitution. Chance rescues him from a fight with debt collectors at a ball and seeks answers to his friend's financial problems, against Wentworth's wishes. Meanwhile, he also tries to avoid marriage to his friend's vapid sister Lady Edith fearing that their relationship would be like that of his parents: Cold and loveless. Meanwhile, Ava faces unhappy childhood memories when her younger sister Amelia mysteriously appears to live with Ava in Welburn.

Ava's value of independence is misinterpreted by Chance as an inability to express her feelings, but a passionate romance slowly begins between Ava and Chance. They must both learn happiness can come from independence as well as connection and love with others.